Everyone’s got a favorite spot to get pizza. But it’s important to always scope out the other pizza on your perimeter. Went to a bar/restaurant about a week ago and had a really good pizza I never would have looked for, if I didn’t force myself to keep up-to-date on ALL THE PIZZA NEAR ME….

Speaking of up-to-date, I had pizza recently met up with two-dates at once: Joe Paolucci and Trevor Cunnion, who form Sketch Group Daring Daulton. Daring Daulton will ALSO be performing at the FINAL CAMP WOODS PLUS. We did some serious work on some pies and talked about what Pizza means to them. DIG IN:

Pizza Pal Joe Moore: How much do you like pizza?

JoePaolucci: Bunches… I like the taste and I like the way it makes me feel afterwards.

TrevorCunnion: Enough to eat pizza or pizza related food products about 4-6 times a week.

PPJM: What are your favorite toppings?

Joe: ‘Shrooms, peppers, plain, tomatoes.

Trevor: Mushrooms, onions, green peppers.

PPJM: What is your favorite pizza place in the world?

Joe: T.D. Alfredos in Phoenixville. It’s not good, but it’s better than it used to be.

Trevor: Franks. It’s on 23rd Street in New York City, between Park and Lexington.

The Olympics are in full swing, which means the world’s finest athletes are gathered from all corners of the globe to entertain me while I eat pizza. Thanks, Olympiads, I appreciate it.

Speaking of the world’s finest, I had a chance to talk pizza-shop with one of my favorite people on the entire planet, Mr. Scott Aukerman. Scott is a lot of things to a lot of people – a television personality, a podcast super star, a Mr. Show All Star, world famous media mogul…. and now, for the first time ever, a Pizza Pal! As a fan of “Comedy Bang Bang!” and all other things “Scott” it was a thrill of a lifetime to shoot the slice with him.

Scott is coming to Philadelphia next Thursday August 9th to bring Comedy Bang Bang to us, in what is probably going to be THE single funniest thing to happen to the state of Pennsylvania this year! He’s doing the tour with a menagerie of friends, and in Philly we’ll have James Adominian, Tim Heidecker and perhaps some “special” surprises…

So what’s Scott think about Pizza?? We’ll check it for yourself:

Pizza Pal Joe Moore: How much do you like pizza?

Scott Aukerman: I’d say I like my share. And my share is usually my four slices and one of yours.

PPJM: What is your favorite pizza place?

SA: Pasadena has THE BEST Pizza Hut. It’s a little out of the way, but IT IS WORTH IT.

PPJM: Which toppings are you into, or do you prefer it plain?

SA: I prefer cheese! Maybe it’s just me, but for me – without it, pizza is just bread and tomato sauce!

PPJM: What day was “Pizza Day” in your house growing up?

SA: Pizza day was whenever Mom couldn’t climb out of the bottle long enough to throw some Hamburger Helper in a pan. So Fridays.

What’s shakin’ pizza dawgs? Since we last spoke, I’ve been going crazy over Ricotta on pies – it’s underrated and awesome! Also, I got to talk to Angel Yau, my favorite funny-ist from New York City, about pizza. Talking Pizza with a New Yorker is always fun, because many of my favorite pizza places are in the 5 boroughs. My conversadventure with Angel encompassed all sorts of stops in the Pizzaverse.

Read this!!! :

Pizza Pal Joe Moore: So, how much do you like pizza?

Angel Yau: I like pizza like I like ice cream.
(Please read Joe’s ice cream blog to follow this analogy.)

PPJM: How often do you eat pizza?

AY: I eat pizza as often as I eat tacos…
(Gotcha! Probably once every 2 weeks.)

PPJM: What day is Pizza Day in your house?

AY: Definitely whenever I am lazy to cook, which is once or twice a week…
(But that doesn’t make sense with question 2… SHUT UP INNER ANGEL!)

PPJM: Any favorite toppings or do you prefer it plain?

AY: MEAT! Specifically sausage. The artificial looking, small poop kind, not the sliced ones.
I only prefer plain if I don’t have money and only if it’s a New York slice… otherwise MEAT MEAT MEAT. Sometimes if I do frozen pizza, I’d add my own pepperoni and mushrooms and extra cheese… defeats the purpose of a quick frozen pizza but it makes me feel like I made it ALL out of scratch.

PPJM: What is your favorite pop-culture pizza reference (TV, Film or music)?

PPJM: Favorite pizza place in New York City? Favorite pizza place anywhere else?

AY: I grew up with Pizza Hut. My mom hates cheese so the supreme pizza at the hut is the choice because of the other toppings/bread to cheese ratio. Also their tiny neon orange buffalo wings ARE DELICIOUS. I also grew up with Mama Celeste frozen pizza (supreme of course). I also grew up in Howard Beach, Queens… which is primarily an Italian neighborhood. The go to after elementary school pizza there is La Villa. Also I just remember this from writing about pizza is Singas pizza… it’s a New York chain. I only at there a handful of times when I was little, whenever I want to break my parents’ heart, denying their home cooked food. I always get the chopped sausage and onion pizza. I especially like those two toppings because the sausage was chopped into tiny pieces and was back inside… the cheese was on top! What a delightful surprise! And the onions were sliced super thin like string. It’s not a New York slice, it’s a personal thin pie kind of thing! Oh there’s also a place in Greenpoint, Bk where I lived for a few years in my adult life called Paulie Gee’s… it’s one of the those Brick Oven, bacon jam, dimly lit pizza places. Is the question what pizzas you grew up with Angel? NO! It was what is your favorite in nyc!!! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!?!? NO ONE IS GOING TO LIKE TO YOU ANGEL YAU!

PPJM: Anything else you’d like to add?

AY: Also can we talk about Italian Ices at these pizza parlors?!?!? Rainbow and Vanilla & Chocolate Chip! COME ON!!!

Boom! Awesome! Angel will be onstage here in Philly in a SUPER RARE performance tonight at Camp Woods + at L’Etage. Don’t miss it! This is your best chance to catch one of Angel’s mind-bending multi-media sets without spending $8 to cross a bridge!

I have a theory that all of the planet’s most awesome people are fueled by pizza. I recently had an opportunity to test this theory by talking with one of the awesome-est people of all, Mr. Todd Glass. Todd’s the host of a killer podcast, The Todd Glass Show, and you can see him be awesome live on stage here in Philly at Helium Comedy Club on March 21-24. After a brief conversation with him, I can safely say that my theory still stands:

Pizza Pal Joe Moore: How much do you like pizza?

Todd Glass: I… fucking LOVE pizza. I’ve lost a lot of weight now, but my favorite thing to do on the road used to be ordering a large pizza, and then sitting in the hotel watching TV, and eating the whole thing. The first 3 slices are heaven, but the last… 11 slices are tough. It’s amazing that you can smoke a little pot, make a phone call, and in a half an hour, someone just brings you a pizza.

PPJM: What is your favorite topping?

TG: Well, I guess there are two kinds. I like ham and pineapple. But I also like chicken, olives, ham and pineapple. I figure the restaurant has chicken and probably olives, so I have them throw that on there too.

PPJM: When is/was your family’s “Pizza Night”?

TG: We always had pizza on Sunday nights when I was growing up. Now that I’m an adult… well every night could be pizza night.

PPJM: Do you have a favorite slice in Philadelphia?

TG: We used to go to Sal’s in the Gateway Shopping Center. I can remember scrambling for change to get a slice as a kid there. That’s probably my favorite, and I think it’s still there. (PPJM Note: It is!)

PPJM: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

TG: I’m still on the fence about “breakfast pizza.” I think that’s just the major chain’s way to getting you in the morning. But you know, even still, once I start eating a pie, I’m not going to stop. Even if it means taking a 10 minute break and telling myself I’ll finish it in the morning… I know I won’t.

And so the Todd Glass Pizza was born: Large pie with chicken, olives, ham and pineapple. I’m down with it, are you?!? See you at Helium!

Word up Pizza Gang! I recently had the pleasure to sauce it up with Blake Wexler. When it comes to cool dudes, you will find few cooler than Blake, who is the host of one of my favorite podcasts, The Blake Wexler Show. Blake lives in Los Angeles, which is unfortunate because apparently the pizza there is unremarkable. The good news is that Blake is going to be around some great pizza when he’s in town performing with Todd Glass at Helium Comedy Club on March 21-24. Check it out!

Pizza Pal Joe Moore: How much do you like Pizza?

Blake Wexler: Good pizza is literally my favorite thing on Earth. If it wasn’t for pizza, I would weigh 150 pounds and be a top 5 regional backstroke swimmer- not sure which region. There’s a bar in LA where if you buy a beer, you get a free pizza. The other night after a few pizzas, the waitress there uttered the most depressing sentence I have ever heard in my entire life, “Mr. Wexler, I’m sorry but you’re at your pizza limit.”

PPJM: What is your favorite pizza topping?

BW: Extra sauce and hamburger… if it’s actual hamburger and not something gross.

PPJM: What is your favorite pizzeria in Philadelphia?

BW: Pica’s Pizza in Upper Darby. It’s perfect. They do an upside down pizza – sauce on the top, cheese on the bottom and all the toppings are extremely high quality and it’s not insanely priced. Whenever I come back to Philly, the first day I’m home I drive to Upper Darby and pick up some pies for the week. Vic and Deans on the Main Line is also good.

PPJM: You have been all over… You’ve lived in Philly, Boston and most recently LA and have spent some time in New York and Chicago. Where is the best pizza found?

BW: Food in LA blows. Boston doesn’t know what it’s doing when it comes to pizza. There’s so much shit pizza in New York it makes finding the amazing stuff a task. I can’t imagine there’s a better pizza than Pica’s in Upper Darby.

PPJM: When you were a kid, which day of the week was “Pizza Day” in your house?

BW: Usually Friday or Saturday. There was a 3 year period in my life as an elementary school-er where I got pizza hut literally every Saturday. My mom would order me, as per my request, a half cheese, half no cheese but w/extra sauce pizza. It got to the point where a year ago, I was back at home and ordered the same thing for nostalgia sake… it was the first time I had ordered pizza hut in like 4 years. The guy who took my order remembered me from when I was a child and we then talked for 15 minutes on the phone about how our lives had turned out. I’m doing better than he is.

PPJM: Anything else you’d like to add?

BW: Last time I was home, my mom, who is an incredible, gourmet-level cook, was ordering pizza from Bertucci’s. I had consumed a couple drinks and told her I wanted “The Ultimo”. She kept trying to order it, and the restaurant kept telling her they didn’t know what she was talking about. After she angrily hung up, I told my mother that I had made up the name of that pizza. Then I laughed so hard I had an actual asthma attack.

Wow! That was great! Now I really want an “Ultimo”… See you pizza pals at Helium!

After a recent pizzadventure, I took a few minutes to shoot the breeze about pizza, comedy and pizza with prolific improv-ist Thomas J. Whitaker. Thomas has an affinity for acting, a knack for laughing, a quick wit, and has an emotional attachment for a movie from the 90’s featuring both Ninja’s and Turtles. He also used to sneak pies when his mom wasn’t looking… Hell yeah Thomas!! Thomas and his fellow improvsarios in Rookie Card are all over the place for Philly’s Fringe Festival. Be sure to check the out this Friday at their Philly Fringe Festival HOUSE PARTY!

Here’s the good stuff:

Pizza Pal Joe Moore: How much do you like pizza:

Thomas J. Whitaker: I love pizza! When I was a kid, my mom never let us have it because it was so fatty. But when she went out of town, my dad would grab a large pie for my brother and I.

PPJM: What is your favorite slice in Philly?

TJW: Mad Greek in West Philly.

PPJM: How often do you eat pizza?

TJW: Once a week, I will eat a large pizza in an evening.

PPJM: Are you into plain pizzas or toppings? Which toppings?

TJW: Pepperoni has always been my default, but I love black olive, mushroom, and anchovy.

PPJM: What is your favorite use of pizza in film, television or music?

TJW: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, when Mike and Don do the funeral music when they find the rotten pizza.

PPJM: Did your family have a pizza day? What day was it?

TJW: Friday, when everyone said “To hell with cooking!” or Tuesdays when mom was out of town.

Andrea Kuhar and Aubrie Williams are the one-two-punch-in-the-chops that make up Philly comedy tour-de-force Local Holiday Miracle. At Aubrie’s suggestion, LHM and I sliced it up at Lickety Split, and we talked about Ninja Turtles, Pizza on English Muffins, and their show Thursday August 4th at the Shubin Theater, at 8:30 PM. If you’ve ever wondered about how pizza works into the LHM magic, read on:

Pizza Pal Joe Moore: How much do you like pizza:

Andrea Kuhar – I live in Philly for a lot of reasons, Pizza is one of them.

Aubrie WIlliams – I consider it a religion and practice it… religiously!

Having a few minutes to pick the mind of Roger C. Snair is the most predictably unpredictable things I’ve ever done. I’ve seen Roger perform, and had a pretty good idea of his talents — actor, playwright, dramatist, poet, and so much more … but was he a pizza nut? After a passionate conversation about New Jersey geography, we got the answer to that question.

How much do you like pizza?

A lot. I love to be devastated and torn by a pizza with real pizzazz.

What is your favorite pizza topping?

Extra cheese, mushrooms, pepperoni, Pepto-Bismol.

What was your family’s “Pizza Night?”

I’m Jewish. We had a gefilte fish night. Hey, that would make a far better topping than anchovies.

Favorite slice in Philly?

Olympus on South Street

Favorite slice elsewhere?

Bellmawr Pizza, Browning Road, Bellmawr, NJ.

Anything else you want to add?

I like to eat pizza until I turn into a flatulent bomb. It isn’t pizza unless it makes you fart like a machine gun. Great pizza rips your GI system to shreds and leaves you in an entirely gaseous state.

So for those of you keeping score — Roger is one of us, a certified pizza-haulic. You can catch Roger doing what Roger does at Brendan Kennedy’s Guilty Pleasures this Wednesday, May 4th at 8 PM at the Shubin Theater, alongside Kristen Schier, Andy Moskowitz, Doogie Horner, and JP Boudwin. You can bet I’ll be there (and probably Lorenzo’s later in the night!) Cool!

In an effort to combine two of the worlds best things, pizza and comedy, I split a couple of steaming pies with Philly Sketch-Gang Camp Woods. Anyone who is paying attention knows the fabled role pizza plays in Camp Woods folklore. Who better to sit down and chat with over a few pies?

In between slices, I asked Sam Narisi, JP Boudwin, Brendan Kennedy, and Patrick Foy all the hard-hitting questions…

How much do you like pizza?

Sam Narisi: The most.

JP Boudwin: I wish it lived in the wild so I could kill it, and feel it die in my hands. Then feed it to my weird forest family.